Ludlow
The farmers’ market, every second Thursday, offers rare-breed meat, honey,
beers, pickles and preserves. Local producers (www.localtoludlow.org.uk)
organise family farm days with hearty lunches and animal encounters. Book
rooms now for the Marches Food & Drink Festival (www.foodfestival.co.uk),
September 7-9.
Eat: At the Unicorn (01584 873555, www.unicorninnludlow.co.uk),
a 17th-century pub on the River Corve. Excellent soup, sandwiches and a nut
roast for vegetarians. Or dine on the terrace, overlooking Dinham Weir, at
Mr Underhill’s, where Michelin-starred chef Chris Bradley does heavenly
things with local lamb, game and vegetables (01584 8744310, www.mr-underhills.co.uk).
Stay: In the centre at the Hen & Chickens guest house (01584
874318, www.hen-and-chickens.co.uk),
over12s only, from £28pp, B&B. Younger children will love Strefford
Hall (01588 672383, www.streffordhall.co.uk),
a working farm nine miles north in the Shropshire Hills; B&B from £30pp,
self-catering also available. More self-catering accommodation can be found
at The Cottage Collection (01603 724809, www.the-cottage-collection.co.uk).
Information at www.shropshiretourism.info.
Walk: The Long Mynd, Shropshire. Route: Cardingmill Valley and
Lightspout Hollow, circular. Map: OS Landranger 137, Explorer 217. Length: 3
miles. Refreshments: Take a picnic.
Cardingmill Valley cuts into the flanks of the great whaleback range of the
Long Mynd. Climb the side cleft of Lightspout Hollow with its tumbling
waterfall and scramble up to the top of the valley. At the top of the Long
Mynd you are in another world, a vast upland of heather moor, bleak and
windswept.
Bridport
TV chefs Lesley Waters and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall both live near by and
support producers at the farmers’ market, every second Saturday. Stock up on
a picnic of blue Vinney cheese, handmade crisps, quiches, pies and Dorset
blueberries and head for the shingle beaches of West Bay. The reopened
Electric Palace cinema (01308 428354, www.electricpalace.org.uk)
now comes with a funky brasserie attached. Meet Hugh and Lesley at the food
festival, June 29-July 1 (www.bridportfoodfestival.org.uk).
Eat: At one of Hugh’s favourite pubs, the Bottle Inn, Marshwood (01297
678254, www.thebottleinn.co.uk),
famous for its nettle-eating championships (June 15), or the Shave Cross Inn
(01308 868358), where the Caribbean chef serves a mean crab curry. Book an
outside table on a summer’s night at the Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock
(01308 897070, www.hivebeachcafe.co.uk),
favoured by Rick Stein.
Stay: In town at the Bull Hotel (01308 422878, www.thebullhotel.co.uk),
where chef Paul Morley runs a well-priced gastro-pub using local organic
produce; B&B doubles from £85. Or, overlooking Lyme Bay, at Eype’s Mouth
Country Hotel (01308 423300, www.eypesmouthhotel.co.uk).
B&B doubles from £98, with a sea view; singles from £50. For
self-catering cottages in the area, contact Dorset Coastal Cottages (01305
854454, www.dorsetcoastal
cottages.com) or Helpful Holidays (01647 433593, www.helpfulholidays.com).
Walk: The Undercliff, Lyme Regis, Dorset-Devon border. Route: Lyme
Regis to Seaton. Return by bus (ten minutes to the hour) or taxi (01297
24666 or 20038). Map: OS Landranger 193, Explorer 116. Length: 7 miles.
Refreshments: Take a picnic.Details: Lyme Regis TIC (01297 442138, www.westdorset.com).
Set off from The Cobb, a storm-battered breakwater, and follow the Coast Path
west through the secret world of the Undercliff. Full of trees and wild
flowers, it’s the nearest we have to a Garden of Eden.
Stroud
New-season strawberries and asparagus are must-have treats from Stroud
farmers’ market, held every Saturday with more than 50 stalls.
Eat: In the sunny courtyard at the Bell at Sapperton (01285 760298, www.foodatthebell.co.uk),
off the A419. Specialities include Cotswold lager, English wines, lobster
and lamb. Book at weekends. Or the Green Dragon Inn (01242 870271, www.greendragon-inn.co.uk),
Cowley, good for Sunday roasts and doorstep sandwiches.
Stay: At Calcot Manor, near Tetbury, an unstuffy Cotswolds country
house geared to children. Family rooms from £240 a night, B&B, for
four (01666 890391, www.calcotmanor.co.uk).
Or try Liz Hurley’s posh local, the Village Pub (01285 740421, www.thevillagepub.co.uk)
in Barnsley, a gastro joint with six rooms, B&B doubles from £90.
Booking essential. Self-catering places to stay in the Cotswolds can be
found through Rural Retreats (01386 701177, www.ruralretreats.co.uk).
Walk: Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire. Route: Leighterton and
Westonbirt Arboretum, circular. Map: OS Landranger 173, Explorer 168.
Length: 6 miles. Refreshments: Royal Oak, Leighterton (01666 890250);
Westonbirt Arboretum restaurant/café. Information at Westonbirt Arboretum
(01666 880220, www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt).
Start in the Cotswold stone village of Leighterton, and walk through fields
and up through Hawkesbury Spinney to cross the grounds of Westonbirt
Arboretum, where exotic trees and shrubs are always in dramatic shape and
colour. Follow paths to the Visitor Centre, then head north out of the
arboretum up a beautiful valley to Bowldown Road. A short stretch on the
grassy verge, and you steer through the fields between Slait Barn and
Sheephouse Covert back to Leighterton.
Hexham
The farmers’ market, second and fourth Saturdays, has about 30 producers,
including Northumbrian Quality Meats, Gary Rhodes’s favourite beef supplier,
chilli products from Trees Can’t Dance, and wildflower soaps from Studley
Cottage. Visit the Tyndale Beer Festival (www.tynedale
beerfestival.org.uk), June 14–16, for northern brews.
Eat: A poacher’s pie (beef and venison) at the Milecastle Inn (01434
321372, www.milecastle-inn.co.uk)
on Hadrian’s Wall. Children’s menu available. Or try the Green Room (01434
608800, www.thegreenroomrestaurant.co.uk).
Stay: In style at Langley Castle, Tynedale – dating from 1350 –
children welcome, B&B from £64.50pp (01434 688888, www.langleycastle.com).
Or at Battlesteads (01434 230209, www.battlesteads.com)
in Wark, a 14-room inn with local beers and produce served in a pretty
walled garden, B&B from £40pp. Northumbria Byways (016977 46777, www.northumbria-byways.com)
has a selection of self-catering properties near Hadrian’s Wall. Or try
Northumbria Coast and Country Cottages (01665 830783, www.northumbria-cottages.co.uk).
Walk: Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland. Route: Housesteads Roman Fort to
Milecastle 42. Return by Hadrian’s Wall Bus AD122 from Milecastle Inn on
B6318 below Cawfield Crags. Map: OS Landranger 86, Explorer OL 43. Length: 6
miles. Refreshments: Milecastle Inn (01434 321372). Information at
Haltwhistle TIC (01434 322002, www.hadrianswallcountry.org).
The Hadrian’s Wall Bus has made it easy to ramble the greatest Roman monument
in Britain. A superb section for families starts at Housesteads, the
best-preserved of the wall forts – kids will be fascinated by the
multi-seater Roman soldiers’ lavatory. The walk forges west along Hotbank
Crags and Windshields Crags.
Aberdeen
Everyone shops at the Aberdeen Country Fair, first and last Saturdays, the
largest farmers’ market in Scotland. Stock up on Arbroath smokies, Deeside
truffles, Inverness fudge, plus beef and lamb from Speyside Organics.
Eat: The granite city is known for its fish. Ashvale (01224 596981, www.theashvale.co.uk)
is rated the best fish-and-chip shop in the country (patronised by Kenny
Dalglish and Mel Gibson). For gourmet seafood with a harbour view, try the
French-owned Silver Darling (01224 576229). Dinners only. Booking essential.
Stay: At the Carmelite, Aberdeen’s first boutique hotel. B&B
from £65pp (01224 589101, www.carmelitehotels.com).
Or rent a room at The Spires (0845 2700090, www.thespires.co.uk),
an aparthotel, from £99. More self catering in Scotland can be found through
Cottages and Castles (01463 226990, www.cottagesandcastles.co.uk).
Information at www.visitscotland.com.
Walk: Glen Tanar, Royal Deeside. Route: Glen Tanar Estate Visitor
Centre and Dinnet Bridge, circular. Map: OS Landranger 44, Explorer 395.
Length: 5 miles. Refreshments: Loch Kinord Hotel (01339 885229, www.lochkinord.com)
or Victoria Restaurant and Tea-room (01339 885337), both at Dinnet.
Information at Braeloine Visitor Centre (01339 886072, www.glentanar.co.uk).
This nicely varied walk takes you along forest tracks, past well houses, to
descend into the valley of the lovely River Dee at Dinnet Bridge.
Canterbury
The UK’s first permanent farmers’ market and on-site restaurant is here, at
the Goods Shed, Station Road West. Summer is the time to sample Kent’s
finest soft fruits, ciders, sparkling wines, and apples from the Brogdale
Trust (www.brogdale.org),
where they grow 2,300 varieties. Pick up a picnic from Enzo’s slow-proved
breads, smoked meats or fish from the Weald smokery and a cake from Mead
Farm.
Eat: At The Goods Shed (01227 459153), which has crispy-skinned roast
chicken with greens, and feathery apple cake. Or enjoy sea views at the
Whitstable Oyster Fishery Co (01227 276856, www.oysterfishery.co.uk).
Stay: In town at the new Abode (01227 766266, www.abodehotels.co.uk),
doubles from £125, room only, to sample Michael Caine’s stunning modern
British cooking (the tasting menu is £55). Or overlooking the River Stour at
the revamped Bell Hotel, Sandwich (01304 613388), B&B from £90 per room.
The seasonal menu offers saltmarsh lamb and local seafood. Self-catering
accommodation can be found through Hideaways (01747 828170, www.hideaways.co.uk,
or try timesonline.holiday-rentals.co.uk
for properties throughout the UK. Information at www.canterbury.co.uk.
Walk: The Swale, Kent. Route: From Ship Inn, Conyer, along south bank
of The Swale. Return same way. Map: OS Landranger 178, Explorer 149. Length:
As far as you like. Refreshments: Ship Inn, Conyer (01795 520778).
The sea-wall stroll along the south bank of the Swale channel is a delight for
birdwatchers and lovers of marshy landscapes. Horizons are broad and level,
there are huge numbers of waders in summer on the tidal mud-flats, and views
across to the Isle of Sheppey are wide and moody.
For information on farmers’ markets and local produce: www.farma.org.uk,
www.farmersmarkets.net,
www.farmshopping.net.
